Johann Adam Möhler (6 May 1796 – 12 April 1838) was a German

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and priest associated with the Catholic Tübingen school. He was born at Igersheim in the Bailiwick of Franconia of the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

(from 1809 on part of

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), and after studying

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and theology in the lyceum at

Ellwangen Ellwangen an der Jagst, officially Ellwangen (Jagst), in common use simply Ellwangen () is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in the east of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated about north of Aalen. Ellwangen has 25,000 inha ...

, entered the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

in 1817. Ordained to the priesthood in 1819, he was appointed to a curacy. He returned to Tübingen where he became ''

privatdozent ''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualifi ...

'' in 1825, an associate professor of theology in 1826 and a full professor in 1828. His lectures drew large audiences that included many Protestants. The controversy aroused by his ''Symbolik'' (1832) was such that in 1835 he left for the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

, because of polemics with the Protestant Tübingen theologian

Ferdinand Christian Baur Ferdinand Christian Baur (; 21 June 1792 – 2 December 1860) was a German Protestant theologian and founder and leader of the (new) Tübingen School of theology (named for the University of Tübingen where Baur studied and taught). Following Hege ...

. In 1838 he was appointed to the deanery of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

, but died shortly afterwards. He died young but was very influential for other theologians, such as

Henri de Lubac Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal who is considered one of the most influential Theology, theologia ...

Yves Congar Yves Marie-Joseph Congar (; 13 April 1904 – 22 June 1995) was a French Dominican friar, priest, and theologian. He is perhaps best known for his influence at the Second Vatican Council and for reviving theological interest in the Holy Spiri ...

, and others. As a

church historian Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of th ...

, he has a more confessional and conservative orientation and organic thinking.

Works

Möhler wrote: *''Die Einheit in der Kirche oder das Princip des Katholicismus, dargestellt im Geiste der Kirchenväter der drei ersten Jahrhunderte'' (Tübingen, 1825). English translation (1995):
Unity in the Church or the Principle of Catholicism: Presented in the Spirit of the Church Fathers of the First Three Centuries
', Peter C. Erb, trans.,

Catholic University of America Press The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939 and incorporated on July 16, 1941, the CUA Press is a long-time member of the Associ ...

, Washington, D.C., *''Athanasius der Grosse und die Kirche seiner Zeit, besonders im Kampfe mit dem Arianismus''. In six books (2 volumes, Mainz, 1827). *''Symbolik oder Darstellung der dogmatischen Gegensätze der Katholiken und Protestanten nach ihren Öffentlichen Bekenntnisschriften'' (Mainz, 1832; 8th edition, 1871–72; English translation by S. B. Robertson, 1843) This is a study of doctrinal differences between various Christian confessions. Central in this work is the

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

and

soteriology Soteriology (; ' "salvation" from wikt:σωτήρ, σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and wikt:λόγος, λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of Doctrine, religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special sign ...

and the unity of the Church. *''Neue Untersuchungen der Lehrgegensätze zwischen den Katholiken und Protestanten'' (1834) – New studies of the doctrinal differences between Catholics and Protestants. *''Gesammelte Schriften u. Aufsätze'', edited by Döllinger (1839) *''Patrologie'', with Franz Xaver Reithmayr (1839). A ''Biographie'' by Balthasar Wörner was published at

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

in 1866. The ''Symbolik'' is his most famous work; the interest excited by it in Protestant circles is shown by the fact that within two years of its appearance it had elicited three replies of considerable importance, those namely of FC Baur, PK Marheineke and KI Nitzsch.

References

External links

Catholic Encyclopedia: Johann Adam Möhler
* Johann Adam Möhler
Vom Geist der Theologie. Gesammelte Aufsätze (German). Hrsg. von Dieter Hattrup. Band 1
Paderborn, 2011. * Johann Adam Möhler
Vom Geist der Theologie. Gesammelte Aufsätze (German). Hrsg. von Dieter Hattrup. Band 2
Paderborn, 2011. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mohler, Johann Adam 1796 births 1838 deaths People from Main-Tauber-Kreis 19th-century German Catholic theologians German male non-fiction writers 19th-century German male writers 19th-century German writers University of Tübingen alumni Academic staff of the University of Tübingen Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich